Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Handler with ties to Russia appears to …

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Handler with ties to Russia appears to …

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Two men found guilty over arson attacks linked to Keir Starmer Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc convicted at Old Bailey over attacks on property and car connected to PM Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Keir Starmer . Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday. Another Ukrainian man, Petro Pochynok, 35 , was cleared of the same charge. Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered on 11 and 12 May last year. He was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life. Mr Justice Garnham remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on Friday. Jurors deliberated for seven hours and 26 minutes before reaching their unanimous verdicts. Lavrynovych and Carpiuc will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday. During a months-long trial, the jury heard that the three men were offered payment to set fire to a car and two houses linked to Starmer by a mysterious Russian-speaking figure named El Money, or “Hroshi” in Ukrainian. The anonymous contact, who communicated in Russian, offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if he set the fires, filmed them, and got them on the news. Starmer’s sister-in-law, Judith Alexander, was living with her partner and daughter in the prime minister’s former home in Kentish Town when the front door was set ablaze on 12 May 2025. “I did not see anyone on the street,” Alexander told the court in April, “but when I looked down I saw smoke and an orange glow where the front door was.” Following the arson attacks, El Money told Lavrynovych to leave the UK. “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain,” El Money wrote on Telegram. “I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.” Lavyronvych was arrested at his home in Sydenham, south-east London, on 13 May 2025. Carpiuc was arrested on 17 May at Luton airport, while waiting to board a flight to Romania. Commander Helen Flanagan, the head of counter-terrorism policing London, said there was “no ideological motivation” for the defendants and “no evidence to suggest that they knew who they were targeting, and that that was the prime minister or properties linked to the prime minister”. She added: “However, clearly the intention from the online tasker was to create fear, both for the victim and the prime minister, and cause uncertainty, unrest, for the UK.” After the verdicts, the chief prosecutor, Frank Ferguson, said: “These were deliberate and dangerous acts of arson carried out against properties and a vehicle linked to the prime minister, and th

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Two men found guilty over arson attacks linked to Keir Starmer Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc convicted at Old Bailey over attacks on property and car connected to PM Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Keir Starmer . Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday. Another Ukrainian man, Petro Pochynok, 35 , was cleared of the same charge. Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered on 11 and 12 May last year. He was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life. Mr Justice Garnham remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on Friday. Jurors deliberated for seven hours and 26 minutes before reaching their unanimous verdicts. Lavrynovych and Carpiuc will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday. During a months-long trial, the jury heard that the three men were offered payment to set fire to a car and two houses linked to Starmer by a mysterious Russian-speaking figure named El Money, or “Hroshi” in Ukrainian. The anonymous contact, who communicated in Russian, offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if he set the fires, filmed them, and got them on the news. Starmer’s sister-in-law, Judith Alexander, was living with her partner and daughter in the prime minister’s former home in Kentish Town when the front door was set ablaze on 12 May 2025. “I did not see anyone on the street,” Alexander told the court in April, “but when I looked down I saw smoke and an orange glow where the front door was.” Following the arson attacks, El Money told Lavrynovych to leave the UK. “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain,” El Money wrote on Telegram. “I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.” Lavyronvych was arrested at his home in Sydenham, south-east London, on 13 May 2025. Carpiuc was arrested on 17 May at Luton airport, while waiting to board a flight to Romania. Commander Helen Flanagan, the head of counter-terrorism policing London, said there was “no ideological motivation” for the defendants and “no evidence to suggest that they knew who they were targeting, and that that was the prime minister or properties linked to the prime minister”. She added: “However, clearly the intention from the online tasker was to create fear, both for the victim and the prime minister, and cause uncertainty, unrest, for the UK.” After the verdicts, the chief prosecutor, Frank Ferguson, said: “These were deliberate and dangerous acts of arson carried out against properties and a vehicle linked to the prime minister, and th

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian w…

Two men found guilty over Starmer-linked arson attacks 44 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Daniel De Simone Investigations correspondent Counter Terrorism Policing / PA Stanislav Carpiuc and Roman Lavrynovych Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted by an Old Bailey jury. In May 2025, a Toyota once owned by Sir Keir was set alight in a street in north London. Days later two homes were set ablaze, including one rented out to the prime minister's sister-in-law, which he still owned. The prosecution told the court Lavrynovych carried out the arson attacks after being recruited online by Russian-speaking Telegram user "El Money" who promised him payment. Lavrynovych was acquitted of damaging property by fire with intent to endanger life on 11 and 12 May 2025 at two properties in north London. He was convicted of alternate counts of damaging property by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered. A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. All three, who live in London, had denied conspiring together and "with others" to damage property by fire between 1 April and 13 May 2025. On 8 May 2025, a car previously owned by the prime minister was found on fire on a street he previously lived on in Kentish Town. Three days later, a fire was discovered at flats linked to Sir Keir in nearby Islington. He had lived there years before. On 12 May 2025, a fire was discovered at the entrance to Sir Keir's Kentish Town home, which was being rented out to his sister-in-law. She was inside with her family when the property was set alight by Lavrynovych. Metropolitan Police Sir Keir Starmer's former Toyota car was set alight in May 2025 Lavryovych was recruited online by a Russian speaker using the alias EL, whom Lavrynovych saved in his phone as "El Money", the court heard. He was previously tasked by "El Money" to put up far-right posters, but never received the thousands he was promised for the arson attacks. Prosecutors told jurors that it was "no part of your considerations" to decide who "El Money" was and what reason he might have had for coordinating the alleged actions of the defendants. The defendants were said not to have demonstrated any particular political or ideological motivation, and that it did not matter whether they knew that the property they were allegedly targeting was connected to the prime minister or whether that formed part of their motivation. "El Money" sent messages to Lavrynovych on 12 May, after the final arson, which included "there is news, you'll get crypto" and "you need to throw away the clothes". The Telegram contact then offered Lavrynovych advice in a message that read: "Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I'll send y

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Handler with ties to Russia appears to …

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Handler with ties to Russia appears to …

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA View image in fullscreen Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc were found guilty at the Old Bailey. Composite: Counter Terrorism Policing/PA Handler with ties to Russia appears to …

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded when other suspected shadow fleet vessels in British waters had not. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Dan Jarvis was asked by the shadow defence secretary why the Smyrtos had been boarded w…

UK forces face operational cuts without more cash, defence chief warns 2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brian Wheeler Political reporter PA Media Sir Richard Knighton was put in charge of UK forces last September The UK's armed forces will have to "dial back" training and operations…

MoD investigating reports Russian warship fired warning shots near yacht in Channel 19 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn and Matt Murphy , BBC Verify Ministry of Defence The incident involved a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is inv…